The City of Ottawa is clamping down on large crowds at Mooney’s Bay hill effective immediately amid gathering limits related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The city issued a release Friday afternoon stating that sledding and tobogganing are prohibited at Mooney’s Bay.
Ottawa bylaw officers will be increasing patrols to enforce these rules in light of “consistent large crowds, numbering in the hundreds, over the past two weeks,” the statement said.
Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, issued a public health order earlier this month to limit crowd sizes to a maximum of 25 at outdoor recreation amenities including skating rinks, sledding hills and skiing trailheads.
The parking lot at Mooney’s Bay will now be limited to people using the site for “authorized activities,” the city said, including cross-country skiing or snowshoeing at the park.
The city pointed residents to an interactive map of hills where sledding is permitted on the municipal website.
Meanwhile, the National Capital Commission announced it will reopen the Queen Elizabeth Driveway to pedestrians and cyclists starting on Saturday, reintroducing its popular pilot project from the summer.
The roadway will be closed to vehicles from Somerset Street to Fifth Avenue between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for seven days a week, the NCC says.
The Crown corporation also plans to open the Rideau Canal Skateway next week — for local residents only.